The field of the invention is a vehicle which is tiltable, stabilized by the attendant, hand-propelled, with a single wheel, and as above with receptacle, and, child carrier, user propelled.
The present invention relates to a carrier for the transportation of a light load, and in particular an infant, over rough trails and while jogging including a seat and a bracket mounted on a frame and a single wheel, which are adjustable relative to each other, and an improved handle which is adjustable relative to the frame.
A light carrier that will substitute directly for a backpack, both for loads, and for carrying children, in town and while camping, jogging or walking outdoors, is needed as our population ages. By careful design, my invention meets all of these needs in one device.
Previously known carts for carrying loads over rough terrain have failed to gain wide popularity. None revealed to date has a seat for a child, and most have many parts which add weight and complexity.
All jogging carriages such as are revealed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,062,651, 4,848,780, and 3,829,113 are designed for use on smooth, usually paved, surfaces. None revealed to date can be used on trails safely.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,055,354 and 3,820,807 reveal carts designed to allow the transporting of heavy loads by two users, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,005,845, 4,869,517, and 3,560,015 reveal vehicles which are designed to be used by one person carrying lighter loads. These carts are difficult to use and tiring because they cannot be pushed or controlled easily. The load is carried between the wheel and the user, and some weight is carried by the user's arms or torso.
None of these vehicles are adjustable for the size of the user. The distance from handle to wheel and the angle of the load on the wheel need to be variable to compensate for varying heights of user.
None of these vehicles is adjustable for stride length. Tall users have a longer stride and need to have the wheel placed farther away from the handle than shorter users. The same user will need a longer vehicle while running in the city than when walking on a trail, because stride length varies with speed. None of these vehicles is adjustable for a variety of wheel sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,845 reveals a pole for carrying loads outdoors. This design sacrifices control, both for steering and for stabilizing the vehicle, for simplicity and lightness.
Lacking a handle, it cannot be controlled around the axis of the pole because the hand grip can produce no significant torsional moment, so it is directionally unstable. Any imbalance of loads around the pole, such as is produced by single, indivisible loads like an infant, produces a torque that overwhelms that produced by the hand. A chair might be mounted to it rigidly, but it would twist to be lowermost on the pole, and the apparatus would not be steerable nor the ride pleasant for the child. Only a small wheel can be used, because a larger wheel will produce proportionately larger twisting moments, and the hand, lacking any mechanical advantage, will be unable to provide a correcting torque.
Because of this limitation of wheel size, the vehicle can be used outdoors, but only on smooth surfaces such as an ice-covered pond. Pushing the vehicle over uneven ground results in frequent and painful punches to the throat and chin, even if the wheel is significantly larger than in this embodiment.
This is a shortcoming of all of the carts or poles which contact the body or are tied mechanically to it. The movement of any vehicle over uneven ground produces a constant series of jolts and pulls which are translated directly into the body through the point of contact. Placing the end of the rigid pole against the user's torso would be extremely unpleasant over even moderate terrain, the effect approximating an engine pushrod.
The pole can only be pushed, not towed.
The patents revealing child-carriers found to date, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,062,651, and 4,848,780 disclose carriers which use two or three wheels to support the chair. They show vehicles which are designed to be statically stable. This approach has proven unworkable on trails where they are unable to remain upright on sloping or uneven ground. These vehicle are too wide, and they are also heavy and cannot be easily lifted over large obstacles in the pathway.
The child faces forward and is hit by branches intruding into the pathway as the vehicle advances.
The vehicle can only be towed, not pushed. The trailing position can be dangerous, in part because the vehicles cannot be actively stabilized by the user, and upsets can occur without warning.
In these carriers the child is not visible to the user and cannot interact with the user. Infants often drop their bottles or clothing over the side. and in tow, this is not visible.
The carriages shown conform to the slope of the terrain with both wheels, so the child is rocked excessively side to side on variable terrain as one wheel rises and falls relative to the other.
The previously revealed vehicles are wide and long and have many parts which add weight and complexity. A vehicle generally should not be wider than six inches at the ground for easy use on a trail. A vehicle that is too long cannot turn across switch-backs or maneuver around rocks or in dense undergrowth.
Whatever the precise merits, features, and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purpose of the carrier, with detachable seat, of the present invention.